Making Connections At The Ultimate Software User Conference

By Maren Hogan

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Last week, I spent a few days running around Connections 2018, Ultimate Software’s user conference in Las Vegas. It was an absolute blast, spending time in some amazing company. Of course, I can never just attend one conference in a week and call it quits, later in the week I bounced over to San Francisco for SmartRecruiters. I can't help but stop and reflect on the cutting-edge things Ultimate Software had presented. This is the type of HRTech that will be influencing the future of the world at work.

Not Your Mama's Workforce Management

Ultimate Software is taking their “People First” motto to a whole new level with their newly launched, mobile-friendly UltiPro Workforce Management solution. This time and labor tech eases performance management for the leaders who oversee departments, and the talent who keep deliverables on track. The whole point of the solution is to pull all the steps it takes to do things like clock-in, schedule time off and timesheet overviews into one, easy to navigate dashboard.

We’re talking a full-scale, all-in-one workforce management process that saves employees time and hassle while giving managers dream-worthy organization. Plus, all that data (in addition to performance metrics) is tracked and reported with visual graphs that make performance reviews and goal management simple.

AND Ultimate made sure to follow one of my not-so-secret rules by including templates for various repetitive tasks every talent management team relies on. With little administrative burden, leaders and their employees can focus on more professional development and less on employment logistics. Talk about a better overall employee experience.

Benefits Management At Its Prime

Ultimate also launched their new benefits management platform, UltiPro Benefits Prime, at Connections 2018. Meant to enhance the benefits experience, this program answers many benefits administrator challenges, including helping employees understand their packages. As a small business owner, I can tell you that there are so many little hassles that come with working alongside insurance companies…and that doesn’t include the part where you explain plans to your employees.

A tool like Benefits Prime makes it easier to shop for rates, compare plans and even keep track of previous selections. Employees can manage their packages, enroll dependents, update personal details and view policies. Alerts help keep everyone on time with changes and updates so no one is tracking down procrastinators. The platform also includes education resources to explain all those complicated rules and regs that change Every. Freaking. Year. Let’s be honest, even the experts can’t keep up with all the rules.

Alexa's HR Expert Brother, Xander

Nowadays there is no way you can talk about revolutionizing HR Tech without mentioning artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. And of course, Ultimate Software is introducing their very own AI technology, Xander. Xander powers UltiPro Perception, but is also being integrated into other HCM areas.

There’s a lot of high-tech talk behind Xander, but simply put, the tool automatically understands HCM data and user actions, then predicts future actions using emotional and analytical intelligence. In fact, Xander features sentiment analysis technology, which is pretty much the ability to use natural language processing (NLP) to understand what employees are feeling. And not just the happy/sad indicators either…excited, worried, anxious and other very real human emotions that have massive impacts on work quality and productivity.

All these insights happen behind the scenes, so all users are left with are suggestions and recommendations for better talent management. The point is to give you a better chance of higher-quality hires, improved retention and engaged company culture.

Last but not least, every one of these pieces of tech are actually very pretty and simple. The UX is intuitive and bold. I’ll be keeping my eyes out for more insights like these, so be watching my Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn for updates. While you’re there, check out some of the other influencers here with me! See what I mean about a good company?

About Maren Hogan:

Maren Hogan is a seasoned marketer, writer and business builder in the HR and Recruiting industry. Founder and CEO of Red Branch Media, an agency offering marketing strategy and outsourcing and thought leadership to HR and Recruiting Technology and Services organizations internationally, Hogan is a consistent advocate of next generation marketing techniques. She has built successful online communities, deployed brand strategies and been a thought leader in the global recruitment and talent space. You can read more of her work on Forbes, Business Insider, Entrepreneur, and The Red Branch Media Blog.

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